


Suppression

by Misty_Reeyus



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: Character Study, During Canon, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 08:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15659229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misty_Reeyus/pseuds/Misty_Reeyus
Summary: His vessel is Laphicet Crowe.Irrelevant.





	Suppression

**Author's Note:**

> written for [Berseria Week](https://berseriaweek.tumblr.com/) > Day 1: Emotion/Reason

Innominat awakens.

His belly was already half-full from years before, and now, as he swallows up the essence of a second pure soul, his power returns to him in surging waves. Born anew, he begins to conjure a new physical form, absorbing this sacrifice’s appearance and memories to use as his own. Hazy instinct finally solidifies into clear consciousness, and he remembers for the first time his vessel’s identity: Laphicet Crowe.

Irrelevant.

His attention is far more taken by the other human that fell alongside his vessel—the one who, even now, still shrieks and cries in such an ugly display. Her soul is not nearly pure enough to be a sacrifice, and with two souls already inside him, Innominat has no need for another one. But where she is devoid of purity, she contains a very different sort of potential, resonating with him in that special way only certain creatures can.

She is receptive.

(Amidst the rush of brand new memories, something screams in the back of Innominat’s mind: _Stop, leave her alone, I only wanted to protect her, I never wanted **this** for her—!_

Ah, she is his vessel’s sister.

…Irrelevant.)

So Innominat takes the only logical course of action. He creates his first therion, shoots her up out of the pit, then focuses on adjusting the final touches of his earthly incarnation. He changes very little of his vessel’s appearance, only lightening his hair and robing himself all in white, as he always does. Once done, Innominat rises from the deep, then analyzes the scene that greets him at the surface.

His therion lies on the ground, limp, unconscious. The man standing over her sheathes his sword with his only working arm, then calmly turns to face the newly awakened god.

Innominat recognizes him. “You are the one who summoned me.”

Artorius voices an affirmation before bowing his head—respectful, but not overly reverent.

“Excellent,” Innominat says. “You shall serve me well.”

* * *

In his spare time, of which he has a lot, Innominat reviews his vessel’s memories. 

Laphicet Crowe’s existence was rather inconsequential, even by human standards. Sickly since birth, he spent most of his life stuck in his own bed, reading all about the world outside that he would never see. He was a naive child to the very end, a foolish boy who didn’t truly understand the cause for which he was sacrificing himself.

Innominat has seen the world that Laphicet so yearned for: a wretched, horrible, cursed planet. He has watched countless civilizations drive themselves to ruin, beckoning him to rise and wipe the slate clean once again. This tedious cycle has repeated itself endlessly for millennia—but Artorius’s plan aims to change that, at long last. This ugly world shall finally be perfect, forever suppressed, forever free of malevolence.

Artorius is truly a fine partner. Unlike so many other fallible humans, he is well versed in the ways of the Empyreans, and he sees the value in Innominat’s power. They share the same vision, and Artorius is quite adept at manipulating his society in order to further their goals. The people give prayers, the therions feed, and Innominat’s strength grows with each passing day.

(Sometimes, Innominat remembers Artorius by another name. Sometimes, when they discuss their plans, Innominat is reminded of lessons conducted by Laphicet’s bedside: Arthur helping him translate the ancient tongue and teaching him all about history and geography. In those days, Arthur would lean in close as he told tales of Empyrean might and heroic battles, and Laphicet would snuggle up against him while dreaming of someday breaking free of his bedroom-prison to embark upon adventures of his own.

…Irrelevant.)

* * *

Velvet breaking out of Titania was not part of the plan.

However, it’s not much of a setback, either. Artorius and Melchior are skilled in twisting an unexpected situation back into an advantage, and ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether or not Velvet roams free for a while. She may no longer be in the cage, but that doesn’t mean she’s not still on a tight leash—she’s so dependable, so _predictable_ , that she still plays right into their hands. Arthur and Laphicet knew their sister all too well, and thus, Artorius and Innominat know exactly how to use her.

How to _break_ her.

Unfortunately, the more Innominat calls upon Laphicet’s memories of his sister, the more those pesky emotions of his come bubbling to the surface. Innominat is not Laphicet Crowe, not entirely, but Laphicet’s very soul is a central part of his current incarnation. Somewhere deep down, Laphicet mourns the monster his sister has become, because all he ever wanted was for Velvet to be happy. 

But what Laphicet wanted is irrelevant now. Innominat has only one duty, one purpose in this wretched world, and he will do whatever he must to fulfill it. 

Despair is such a tricky form of malevolence, the most difficult to harvest, but Velvet is the ideal incubator, and Innominat knows her so well. He lets himself become Laphicet—or, as much as he can become Laphicet without letting these insipid human feelings distract him from his goal—because if anything will drive Velvet to true despair, it will be when her precious little brother himself refutes her pointless revenge. When Innominat materializes before her in Titania, he knows that she will fall.

…Only, she doesn’t.

Like a cockroach, she stubbornly refuses to give in, defies his every expectation and stands up yet again. The despair that Innominat worked so hard to create—all because of that malak, she actually managed to stave it away. Yes, that malak, that fragment who splintered from Innominat himself, who stole both Laphicet’s name and his place at Velvet’s side. That…that _substitute_ , who somehow managed to save Velvet when her brother never could, and to top it all off, even dared to _punch Innominat across the face_.

Deep inside his chest, something burns white-hot: an unfamiliar and thoroughly irritating sensation that Innominat hurriedly forces back down.

Yet, the more Innominat tries to suppress it, the stronger the feeling grows.

* * *

The comb in Velvet’s hand breaks, and something deep inside Innominat breaks too.

It hurts. Everything hurts. He is weak from the Four’s awakening, tired from the fighting, and most importantly, he is hungry, hungry, so so _hungry_. His faculties begin to fail him—when he devours Artorius’s despair, he is more instinct than thought, and when they armatize, Innominat lets Artorius take full control because he no longer has any control over himself. During the battle, he is only barely aware of his surroundings, and even when their fusion is finally ripped apart, all Innominat can feel is the hunger, the emptiness, the pain.

He’s so hungry. He’s so tired.

And then he’s sobbing, because how could Velvet do this, how could his own sister do this to him? Even when he knew she meant well, she was always so strict, she forbade him from so many things. He wanted to play, to feast, to travel the world—and she’d denied him, again and again and again, because he was sick. But he’s not sick anymore, he’s a _god_ now, and he can finally create a world free of suffering, free of sickness, free of the very pain that had plagued him every day of his life, so _why_?!

_Why won’t she give him this_?! 

Laphicet sobs and sobs and sobs, but Velvet hugs him, holds him tight and gently strokes the top of his head. He screams at her in grief, in rage, in so much pure _emotion_ , but despite the words spewing from his lips, he can’t even try to push her away.

He’s just so tired.

“It’s time for us to rest, Laphi,” Velvet murmurs, and digs her therion claws straight into his back.

And Laphicet, so so very tired, finally does just that.

* * *

Innominat sleeps.

And Laphicet Crowe, with his beloved sister by his side, finally lives the life he always wanted.


End file.
